“ If he had a taste for action, Patrick Devedjian also had a passion for ideas: his galleries, his works testify to the work of a free spirit who always wanted to think the right in nuance and complexity. Sunday mid-day, the Elysee Palace greeted the former minister and former president of the Hauts-de-Seine department, who died suddenly of the Coronavirus on the night of Saturday to Sunday, at the age of 75.
Addressing his condolences to his wife Sophie, his four sons and his grandchildren, Emmanuel Macron regretted the loss of a politician " committed, who put his great culture, his immense knowledge of the law and his passion for freedom at the service of its territory and the Nation. "The Elysee Palace recalled the Armenian origin of Patrick Devedjian, so important to him, and welcomed his last words - a message on the Twitter network - addressed" to the nursing staff who, until the end, helped him to fight against the virus and for the agents of the Hauts-de-Seine department, mobilized in the service of its citizens ”.
His predecessor at the head of the Hauts-de-Seine department, Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to "a passionate, whole, sincere, committed man ". " He embodied politics as I like him, with feelings, convictions, panache, " added the former head of state, adding that he is proud to have worked alongside him. President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher praised " a courageous man who is totally devoted to his city of Antony and to the Hauts-de-Seine ".
“ Patrick Devedjian was swept away by the pandemic like tens of thousands of human beings around the world. We will not be able to stand alongside his family to give him the tribute he deserves, "said his former former Prime Minister François Fillon, anxious to highlight the" memories accumulated over 30 years of common fighting ”.
Juppe: “ A man of conviction, courageous, upright, devoted to the public good. "
Former Prime Minister Alain Juppé spoke of “ a man of conviction, courageous, upright, devoted to the public good. Above all, a faithful friend . ” With him, Jean-Pierre Raffarin greeted a man with " convictions, culture, empathy, character, talent ... A Minister who did honor to the function. One of the best. "
" Bouleversée ", the president of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse again paid tribute to an " exceptional personality" who "left her mark on both her Hauts-de-Seine department and the country ".
Jean-Yves Le Drian: " His frank words will be missed in the public debate ".
Tributes came from across the political class. François Hollande paid tribute to " a fighter " who " had courageously overcome many hardships. The one who won was the most insidious because the most invisible ”. The former head of state wanted to salute " his memory and that of all the victims of this scourge ", indicating that " the struggle engaged calls for the greatest national unity. "A former minister, elected on the ground, a convinced decentralizer, he was a committed Republican. His outspokenness will be missed in the public debate , "said the foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Even the communist Ian Brossat, deputy for Housing of the city of Paris, indicated that " beyond political differences ", Patrick Devedjian will have been " a man committed, warm and of great intelligence ". In a book written by Jean-Philippe Moinet a few years ago, La politique differently , Patrick Devedjian confided in his meeting with the philosopher Raymond Aron: " He made me a democrat until the last of my molecules , he transmuted the lead of the extreme right into the gold of democracy . ”